Ghazal and Kathak make a heady combination in BNA musical There's a chance that you have not read the poetry of Majaz Lakhnavi and a stronger possibility that the business of life has kept you from checking it out even though youve heard and been fascinated by excerpts of his work. On Wednesday evening,the amazing work of Majaz,as also of a number of Urdu poets,gave goosebumps to the audience in Sant Gadge auditorium of the UP Sangeet Natak Akademi,Gomti Nagar,as artistes recited it through the medium of music and Kathak. Musical drama Ghazal ka Safar presented under the joint aegis of state Culture Department and Bhartendu Natya Akademi,was a fitting tribute to Urdu poetry and Kathak,the two forces that have enriched the culture of Awadh/Lucknow since the time of the nawabs. Conceived and directed by Suryamohan Kulshreshtha,the show retraced the history and journey of the ghazal form of poetry,through dramatised sequences comprising the nawabs as well as the commonfolk of Awadh. Each sequence was delightfully interspersed by the work of high and mighty Urdu poets like Mirza Rafi Sauda,Mir Taqi Mir,Insha,Nasikh,Atish,Naseem,Nawab Wajid Ali Shah,Mir Anis,Amir Minai,Hasrat Mohani,Allama Arzu,Majaz Lakhnavi and Josh Malihabadi. The absence of Adaa,popularly known as Umrao Jaan,was conspicuous but nobody who watched the over two hours long performance complained,for the sheer ecstasy of relishing nuggets of poetry that has amazed,enthralled,excited and enriched patrons down the ages. Script by chronicler of Awadh,Yogesh Praveen,and young writer Bhartendu Kashyap artfully evoked the mood of an era when sher-o-shayari was part of the colloquial,making the Lakhnavi dialect famous,rather glorious. Everyday shayari incorporating objects like kites,paan and pillows for humour was particularly delectable. Singers Sakhawat Husain,Gulshan Bharti and Ravi Nagar rendered soulfully gems by Mir,Minai,Majaz and a number of poets. The playwright highlighted the finest points in the history of ghazal citing all that is sublime and immortal. Those uninitiated gasped with surprise when popular ghazals were rightfully attributed to their creators. Minais Ahista,aahista,Mohanis Chupke chupke raat din and Josh Malihabadis Bol Iktaare jhan-jhan are all poems most people have only heard,enjoyed,memorised,hummed or set as their ringtone/callertunes without knowing who wrote them. The raving and ranting in Majazs Ae gham-e-dil kya karoon,Vahshat-e-dil kya karoon is the quintessence of rhythm in madness and the singer and actor successfully brought out its pathos on stage. Kudos to the Culture Department for putting up a show like this at a time when natives of Lucknow are doing little more than regretting how fast the city is losing its cultural ethos. Thankfully,more such shows have been promised in time to come.
